The manufacture of fish line is well known in the art and can be accomplished in any of a number of ways. Most common is for one or more resins to be extruded through one or more die heads and drawn to an appropriate denier and diameter for use as monofilament fishing line. This extruded filament may then be used as a monofilic fish line or be braided as is well known in the art. Alternatively, resins can be extruded to form bicomponent filaments as are known in the art. It will be appreciated that fish line can also be made from natural fibers such as cotton or wool, as well as synthetic materials. Other methods of manufacturing fish line, including but not limited to gel spinning, are also contemplated by the present invention.
It has sometimes been found desirable to provide one or more colors to the filament used in making the fish line. Dyeing or pigmenting are two well known methods for coloring such filaments and the like and can be accomplished in any of a number of different ways. For example, one method is to blend the pigment or dye with one or more base resins and then feed them into a hopper for extrusion. Another method is to employ a “color concentrate” which utilizes a plastic or resin which has already been “pre-colored” or loaded with an extremely high concentration of dye or pigment. The color concentrate is then blended with the base resin(s) in the hopper and extruded as known in the art. Still further, the pigments may be added just prior to extrusion (outside of the hopper) or during extrusion (using a second extruder). Other methods of dyeing or pigmenting, including but not limited to solution dyeing, are also contemplated by the present invention.
Generally, the prior art with respect to fish line has sought to provide a fish line which was either less visible to the fish or more visible to the angler. Thus, there is substantial prior art relating to the production of both clear and transparent fish line as well as “non-clear” line. The purpose of the clear fish line was to attempt to make the line as invisible as possible. It is understood that at least one company has attempted to make the refractive index of its fish line match that of water such that the fish would not be able to tell the difference. However, anglers sometimes have a hard time seeing the line themselves. Consequently, various colors of fish line have been produced, but only colors which were believed to provide a benefit to the angler in catching fish. To that end, most “colored” fish lines have been dyed blue, brown or green in order to approximate the color of the water being fished. That is, it was thought that by using blue fish line in bluish waters, brown line in brownish waters, and green fish line in greenish waters, the fish would be less susceptible to being “spooked” by the line itself and would be harder for the fish to see. Fish lines have been dyed other colors as well, including yellow, orange, and pink. There is even one “multi-colored” fish line known to use repeating patterns of at least four different colors—blue, green, red and yellow—in very short segments (less than three feet) along the entire line.
Heretofore, however, fish line has never been substantially red. By “substantially red,” it is meant that at least 50 percent of the fish line capable of being in contact with the water is red. In fact, there has never been a fish line wherein more than 25 percent of the line is red. As used herein, the term “fish line” shall include all types of fishing lines, including fly lines, long lines and the like, as well as all parts of a fishing line where one or more filaments may be used in the production thereof, such as tippets and leaders. The term does not include lures, sinkers, floaters, rods, reels, hooks, nets, or other parts of a fishing tackle where filaments are not typically employed. Making red fish line would appear to go against the logic of the prior art wherein it is believed that the fish line should be made to be less visible to the fish.
It will be appreciated that many lures and floaters may be red in color. The red color of the floater is typically used to permit the angler to see it. On the other hand, any red color on the lure is typically used to fool the fish into thinking the lure is bleeding or is otherwise disabled. It is understood that at least one hook manufacturer makes red-colored hooks, again to fool the fish into thinking that the bait is bleeding.
Other patents and prior art relating to fish line have attempted to provide improved physical properties to the line. Two important physical characteristics of fish line are resistance to abrasion and knot strength. It is believed desirable to the angler to provide a fish line which has an increased resistance to abrasion and improved knot strength. However, attempts to provide improvements in these properties have met with limited success.
Most desirable to the angler, however, is a fish line which gets more strikes of the bait by fish than other fish lines, thereby providing the angler with the opportunity to catch more fish. A fish line that catches more fish is highly sought after by anglers.